Knock-down drawer

ABSTRACT

An apparatus particularly adapted for use as a drawer and capable of being collapsed for shipping in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or locker, having a bottom panel, a front panel, two side panels and a back panel, the bottom panel being removably attachable to each side panel by joint means which includes elements disposed along the lower edge of the side panel and the side edges of the bottom panel and which permits the side panel to be held and maintained in a position perpendicular to the bottom panel for use as a drawer while allowing the side panel to be moved to a position parallel with and adjacent to the bottom panel, or easily disconnected, for purposes of shipping. The bottom panel and side panels, when held together in a drawer position by the joint means, are attachable to the front panel and back panel by holding means disposed through flanges projecting from the edges thereof to form a conventionally shaped drawer which has no protrusions existing on its entire inside surface.

United States Patent 91 Harrell et al.

[ 1 KNOCK-DOWN DRAWER [75] Inventors: Bob G. Harrell; Arthur Harbaugh,

both of St. Louis, Mo.

[73] Assignee: Jackes-Evans Manufacturing Company, Saint Louis, Mo.

22 Filed: July 13, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 162,177

[ 52] US. Cl .....312/330, 312/257 R, 312/261 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 88/00[58] Field of Search ..312/330, 330 SM, 312/257 R, 261; 16/178 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,701,174 2/1955 Franks ..312/3303,432,061 3/1969 Anderson..... ....312/330 1,822,448 9/1931 Morin312/330 2,926,978 3/1960 Mitchell 312/330 2,145,926 2/1939 Gooder..16/178 X 1,290,743 1/1919 Herdst 312/330 X 1,936,733 11/1933Richardson .13 12/330 2,980,482 4/1961 Baio 312/257 R 3,511,550 5/1970l-lilfinger ..312/330 [4 1 Apr. 24, 1973 Primary Examiner-James T.McCall Att0rney-Robert E. Wagner 5 7 ABSTRACT An apparatus particularlyadapted for use as a drawer and capable of being collapsed for shippingin a flattened or knocked-down condition and later assembled, installedand used in connection with a cabinet or locker, having a bottom panel,a front panel, two side panels and a back panel, the bottom panel beingremovably attachable to each side panel by joint means which includeselements disposed along the lower edge of the side panel and the sideedges of the bottom panel and which permits the side panel to be heldand maintained in a position perpendicular to the bottom panel for useas a drawer while allowing the side panel to be moved to a positionparallel with and adjacent to the bottom panel, or easily disconnected,for purposes of shipping. The bottom panel and side panels, when heldtogether in a drawer position by the joint means, are attachable to thefront panel and back panel by holding means disposed through flangesprojecting from the edges thereof to form a conventionally shaped drawerwhich has no protrusions existing on its entire inside surface.

12 Claims, IO'Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORS B03 6. HARRELL ARTHUR HARBAUGH ATT'Y BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for use as a drawerand, more particularly, to a drawer having a construction allowing it tobe shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition and later quicklyassembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet or lockermeans.

The conventional drawer, as used in a table, dresser, or especially acabinet, may be most simply defined as a container constructed ofelements including a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel and twoside panels; the front, back and side panels being attachedperpendicularly to the bottom panel about its perimeter to define avolume of undetermined height. The elements of a conventional drawerhave been attached to one another in many different ways, for example,by nailing, screwing, dovetailing, wooden pegging or spot welding.

Though the construction of a drawer having its elements attached by oneof these methods was satisfactory from the standpoint of durability andstrength, it presented definite problems with respect to shipping and/orassembling. If the drawer were assembled before shipping, the size andbulk of the assembled drawer necessitated large containers and wastedshipping space since the inside volume of the drawer was not utilized.Assembled drawers, and particularly those used in military cabinets andlockers, presented a significant problem in this regard because of thehigh volume of goods shipped and the subsequent reduction in the amountof goods which could be carried on board trucks or railroad cars at anyone time due to the wasted space occupied by the inside. unused volumeof the drawers. If the drawers were assembled and installed in thecabinets prior to shipping, problems of damage to the hanging mechanismsand denting of drawers occurred because of the jostling of the cabinetsand resulting movement of drawers on their hanging mechanisms duringshipment.

Drawers which were constructed by methods such as screwing, which mightallow shipment in a knockeddown or unassembled condition, also presentedproblems when they reached the point where they were to be assembled.Certain requirements, particularly military specifications, require thatall drawers, when assembled, have certain minimum strengthcharacteristics in response to stresses in tension, compression andmoment. It is also necessary that the elements of each drawer berattle-free. In order to fulfill these strength and non-rattlerequirements, a great number of screw and nut means are necessary tocomplete firm assembly of a drawer by screwing. Because of the largenumber of screws and nuts, drawers assembled by screwing have thedefinite disadvantage of requiring a great deal oftime to completeassembly.

The elements of a conventional drawer are usually rectangular inconfiguration so that the means used to hold them together, such asnailsor screws, must be inserted through the face of one element into thethickness of another. Such construction cannot help but weaken theinherent strength of the material used to form the elementsvof thedrawer. lnaddition, ajoint or connection formed in such a manner isrigid and very susceptible to failure in response to bending stresses.In the case of drawers made of strong, thin material, such as steel,spot welding is the favorite method of holding the drawer elementstogether. Since this is almost always done at the factory, it percludesshipping in a knocked-down condition. Normally, sheet metal drawers,using bolt and nut fasteners, have either the bolt head or the nut andscrew end on the inside of the drawer creating unsightly and oftenhazardous conditions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention involves elements forming atraditionally-shaped drawer but having a novel means for attachment toone another to provide a drawer capable of being knocked down andshipped in a flattened condition and later assembled, installed and usedin connection with a cabinet or locker, thereby overcoming the wastedspace incurred in shipping preassembled drawers or the wasted timeincurred in assembling drawers having means permitting assembly by theuser.

The apparatus of this invention achieves this capability of providingeasy assembly of a strong drawer which may be economically shipped withno wasted space, by a unique, interlocking joint means formed of joiningelements disposed near the side edge of a horizontal portion of thebottom panel and complementary joining elements formed near the bottomedge of each side panel.

The joining elements disposed on the side panels are fitted into or overthe corresponding joining elements disposed near the side edge of thehorizontal portion of the bottom panel in one operation, and the sidepanels are then held perpendicular to the horizontal portion of thebottom panel in such a manner that the side panels and bottom panel arefirmly and fixedly attached to one another. The front andrear edges ofthe bottom panel have flange portions projecting downwardly and upwardlyrespectively from these edges and having holes formed therein which maybe positioned adjacent to and aligned with holes formed in correspondingflanges disposed at the bottom edge of the front and back panelsrespectively. Holding means may be inserted through these holes andsimilarly inserted through holes disposed in corresponding flange meanson the front and back edges of the side panels and the side edges of thefront and back panels, respectively, to hold the remaining elements ofthe drawer in fixed relationship with respect to one another.

Since the major portion of the drawer is formed by the horizontalportion of the bottom panel which is attached to the side panels by theunique joint means, the front and back panels may be attached quickly tothe easily joined bottom panel and side panels by using a minimum numberof holding means such as screws and nuts. Thus, assembly time aftershipping is drastically reduced.

The major stresses that the drawer must bear are carried across thebottom and side panels and through the joint means formed by the twojoining elements. Since such a joint means forms a non-rigid or flexibletype of connection between the bottom and side panels, it gives thedrawer greater strength in response to stresses than the ordinary rigidtype of connection.

In addition, the joint means, and the holding means inserted through thecorresponding outwardly projecting flanged portions on the elements, donot protrude inside the drawer so that the interior surface of thedrawer is free from any undesirable edges and all-"the storage space isusable. i

This invention, then, provides for the attaching of traditional drawerelements in a manner allowing these elements to be laid flat on oneanother for purposes of shipping and quickly assembled when they reachtheir destination, to form a drawer having strength and appearancecharacteristics equal or better than those ofa preassembled drawer. Themilitary installations in this country have, up to this time, used aspot welded drawer but have indicated the desirability of a drawer whichcould be laid flat for conservation of space during shipping whileretaining the strength characteristics of the welded drawer. Theinvention of this apparatus accomplishes these requirements.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a drawercapable of being shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition andlater assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet orlocker.

It is another object of this invention to provide a drawer having sidepanels and a bottom panelattached by joint means formed by interlockingcorresponding joining elements which enable the side panels to be movedperpendicular to the bottom panel for use as a drawer or moved parallelto and adjacent to the bottom panel, or easily disconnected, forpurposes of shipping in a knocked-down condition.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an easily assembleddrawer capable of being shipped in a knocked-down condition which has,upon final assembly, no protrusions or fasteners exposed on the interiorsurface of the drawer.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a drawercapable of being shipped in a flattened or knocked-down condition andlater assembled, installed and used in connection with a cabinet orlocker means which is rattle-free and resistant to tensile, compressiveor bending stresses which may be exerted upon it in use.

It is still another object of this invention to provide av drawercapable of being shipped in flattened or knocked-down condition andlaterassembled, having a design enabling it to be scaled to anyparticular size for use with a great variety of cabinets and storagecontainers.

These and other important objects of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with the drawingsillustrating a preferred embodiment wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a conventional cabinet or lockerhaving the drawer apparatus of this invention scaled to various sizeslocated near the bottom:

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the knock-down drawer apparatus ofthisinvention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, slightly enlarged, of the;in--.

FIG. 6 is a slightly enlarged side view of the knockdown drawerapparatus of this invention having the middle portion cut away;

FIG. 7 is a slightly enlarged rear elevational view of the knock-downdrawer apparatus showing in detail the construction of the drawer at thepoint where the back and sides meet;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the joint means of the knock-downdrawer apparatus taken generally along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an alternate embodiment of the joint means of the knock-downdrawer apparatus; and

FIG. 10 is a second alternate embodiment of the joint means of theknock-down drawer apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown an upright cabinet or locker 10 having pullout drawers 14 of theknock-down type I described herein disposed near its bottom.

terior of the knock-down drawer apparatus shown in-:.

FIG. 2; I I v FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the knock-down drawerapparatus shown in FIG. 3

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the knock-down drawer apparatusshown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

The knock-down drawer 14 of this invention is shown in more detail inFIG. 2. This drawer 14, which may be scaled to any desired size,includes a front panel or front 16 having rearwardly extending flanges17 disposed atits sides, bottom and top, and a handle 18 positioned nearthe center of the front 16'to afford a means of gripping and pulling outthe drawer 14 subsequent to assembly and installation. The drawer 14also includes a back panel or back 19, having outwardly extendingflanges 20 at its top, bottom and sides as shown more clearly in FIGS. 3and 6, and a right side panel or right side 21 and left side panel orleft side 22. A bottom panel or bottom 24 completes the body of thedrawer 14.

The drawer 14 is movable into and out of the cabinet 10 shown in FIG. 1on slide tracks 26 disposed along the right side 21 and left side 22 ofthe drawer 14 as shown in FIG. 2 and in more detail in FIG. 6. Theseslide tracks 26 engage a slide channel disposed on the interior of thecabinet 10 which supports the drawer 14 within the cabinet 10 whilepermitting easy movement of the drawer 14 into and out of the cabinet10., The right side 21 and left side 22 of the drawer 14 also havedisposed at their rearward ends a plastic top guide 28, a plastic bottomguide 30 and a rubber bumper stop 32, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 2and 6, to promote the easy movement of the drawer 14 in and out ofcabinet 10. Such movement could, of course, be accomplished by rollertracks. The guides 28 and 30 prevent metal to metal contact for freemovement within the slide channel and prevent vertical or horizontalmovement of the drawer 14 as it is pulled out of the cabinet 10. Therubber stop 32 serves to prevent the drawer 14 from beingunintentionally completely withdrawn from the cabinet 10 by contacting afront stop on the front portion of the cabinet 10 at a point somedistance inside the cabinet frame.

The unique means permitting this drawer 14 to be shipped in a knock-downor flattened condition and easily assembled at its point of use is shownin FIGS. 4,5 and 6. This, in general is referred to as the joint means33 and includes a drawer bottom flange or joint element 34, which can beseen clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, having a plurality of drawer bottom slots36 disposed along the junction of the upwardly extending flange 34 andthe drawer bottom 24, and joint element 38 having a plurality of hingeleaves or tabs projecting inwardly and substantially perpendicular toright side 21 and left side 22 along the bottom portions of sides 21 and22 in positions corresponding to drawer bottom slots 36.

After shipment in a flattened condition wherein right side 21 and leftside 22 are disconnected from or moved adjacent to bottomv 24, the sides21 and 22 and bottom 24 of the drawer 14 may be assembled by aligningthe front and rear edges of bottom 24 and right side 21 and left side 22respectively and inserting the tabs ofjoint element 38 into thecorresponding drawer bottom slots 36 ofjoint element 34 to connect sides21 and 22 to bottom 24 and then rotating right side 21 and left side 22to a position perpendicular to bottom 24. In this position, the tabs ofjoint element 38 come adjacent to the underside of bottom 24 in such amanner that the right side, 21 and left side 22 will be held securelyattached to the bottom 24 despite any forces acting upwardly oroutwardly upon these sides.

The front 16 and back 19 are then joined to the assembled side 21 and 22and bottom 24 portion of the drawer 14 by connector screws 40 which areinserted through connector holes 42 formed in perpendicular flanges 20and 17 disposed about the periphery of the back 19 and the front 16respectively, in flange 25 at the frontward end of sides 21 and 22, andin flange 23 of bottom 24. The connector holes 42 formed in theseflanges and in the elements themselves are aligned and the connectorscrews 40, when inserted through these corresponding and aligned holes42, serve to join all elements of the drawer 14 together in a fixed andrigid relationship.

As mentioned previously, one important advantage of connecting the front16, sides 21 and 22, back 19 and bottom 24 of the drawer 14 togetherthrough the use of flanges along their various edges is that theconnector screws 40 do not project upon the interior storage portion ofthe drawer 14. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the connector screws 40 used tofasten the front 16 to the bottom 24 are inserted through correspondingholes 42 in the front flange 17 of the front 16 and the front flange 23of the bottom portion 24. This connection can be seen more clearly inFIG. 6 showing both the front 16 in position to be joined to the bottom24 and the back 19 connectable to side 22 by means of flanges 20 at itsupper, lower, and side edges. Side 21 is joined to front 16 and back 19in a similar manner.

FIGS. 8 through show the various embodiments of the joint means 33 whichpermit the shipment of this drawer in knock-down or flattened conditionand its easy assembly at point of use. FIG. 8, which is taken generallyalong line 8-8 of FIG. 6, shows the left hand side 22 of drawer 14 andillustrates the joint means 33 described above. In this view, the bottom24 has a drawer bottom flange or joint element 34 extending upwardlyfrom its horizontal portion along its side edge. A drawer bottom slot36, is formed at the junction of the horizontal bottom portion 24 andthe flange or joint element 34. The left side 22, as seen in this view,has an inwardly extending, substantially perpendicular hinge leaf, ortab or joint element 38, which is insertable through drawer bottom slot36 when the side 22 is held in a position parallel to the bottom 24.When the joint element 38 has been completely inserted through slot 36,the side element 22 may be rotated upwardly to a position substantiallyperpendicular to bottom 24 so that tab or joint element 38 comesadjacent to the underside of bottom 24 and side 22 is moved adjacent tothe inside surface of bottom flange or joint element 34.

In FIG. 9 is seen an alternate embodiment of this joint means 33, alsotaken along line 8-8 in FIG. 6, in which the bottom portion 24 of drawer14 includes, at its side edge, a downwardly extending flange 48 havingat its lower end an upwardly turned and pressed together U-shaped tip.This U-shaped tipped flange 48 is then surrounded by the similarlyU-shaped flange portion 50 of side portion 22 to form joint means 33.The U-shaped flange portion 50 is formed by extending side portion 22below bottom 24, turning it upwardly upon itself in a U having a largerradius of curvature than that of the corresponding U-shaped portion 48,and bending it backwardly and downwardly together upon itself again in aU-shape. The flange portion 50 may be then moved over flange portion 48by aligning the front or back edge of side 22 with the back or frontedge of bottom 24 so that flange portion 48 is fitted inside the surfaceof the larger radius flange portion 50. The side 22 and bottom 24 arethen moved in opposite directions with respect to each other until thecorresponding front and back edges of each are aligned.

In FIG. 10 is shown still another possible embodiment of the joint means33, in which bottom 24 has a curvilinear rolled flange 46 bent inwardlyupon itself and disposed along its side edge. This curvilinear rolledflange 46 accepts a similarly shaped inwardly bent or rolled bottomportion 44 of side 22 which surrounds its outside surface. The rolledside flange 44 has an inside diameter only slightly larger than theoutside diameter of rolled bottom flange 46 so that rolled flange 44fits snugly around inside rolled flange 46. The flanges or jointelements 44 and 46 are moved with respect to one anotherto form jointmeans 33 by placing side 22 in a position parallel to bottom 24 as shownby the dotted lines in FIG. 10. The front or back edge of side 22 isthen aligned with the opposite edge of bottom 24 and the flange portion46 is inserted into the interior of flange portion 44. The side portion22 and bottom portion 24 are then moved in opposite directions withrespect to one another until their corresponding front and back edgesare aligned. Side 22 is then rotated upwardly to a positionsubstantially perpendicular to bottom 24 completing the joint means 33and placing bottom 24 and side 22 in their respective positions for usein drawer 14.

The major elements and connections of the drawer may be constructed fromany suitable material which is fairly light-weight but rigid and durableand capable of being stamped or formed into the required shapes, such assteel and stainless steel, their alloys, and various other metals. Theseelements could also be formed of diverse materials such as wood for thebody of the elements and metal for the joint means attached thereto.

While the invention has been described in relation to the preferredembodiments thereof it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatthe structural details are capable of wide variation without departingfro the principles of the invention.

We claim:

1. A drawer capable of being shipped in a flattened or knocked-downcondition and later assembled, in-

stalled and used in connection with a cabinet, said drawer including abottom panel, a front panel, two side panels, a back panel, and quickreleasable joint means for attaching said side panels to said bottompanel, said joint means including bottom joining means integral withsaid bottom panel and side joining means integral with each of said sidepanels, said bottom joining means and said side joining means comprisingthe sole connection between said side panels and said bottom panel, saidjoint means permitting each of said side panels to be moved to a foldedposition parallel with and adjacent to said bottom panel for purposes ofshipping, said joint means alternately holding and maintaining said sidepanels in a position substantially perpendicular to said bottom panelfor purposes of use as a drawer, each of said side panels and saidbottom panel in such perpendicular relationship being fixedly attachableto said front panel and said back panel by holding means to form aconventionally-shaped drawer.

2. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said bottom panel includes a horizontalportion of even surface forming the bottom of said drawer, having cut,shaped, or formed integral bottom joining elements disposed along itsside edges and wherein said side panels include vertical wall portionsforming the sides of said drawer, said vertical wall portions havingdisposed near their lower edges integral side joining elementscomplementing the bottom joining elements disposed along the side edgesofsaid bottom panel, said bottom and side joining elements cooperatingto form said joint means, allowing joinder of said bottom panel and saidside panels in substantially perpendicular relationship while permittingmovement of said side panels with respect to said bottom panel at anydesired time, said bottom panel being joined along the front edge ofsaid horizontal portion to said front panel by holding means and beingjoined along the back edge of said horizontal portion to said back panelby holding means.

3. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said joint means includes aninwardly-extending side joining element disposed along the lower edge ofa vertical wall portion of said side panels and a bottom joining elementdisposed along the side edge of the horizontal portion of said bottompanel, said side and bottom joining elements acting in communication andconjunction to allow said side panels to be moved or swung to a verticalposition with respect to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel orto a folded position parallel with and adjacent to said horizontalportion of said bottom panel.

4. The drawer of claim 3, wherein said bottom joining element disposednear the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panelcomprises slot means cut in the bend formed by the junction of saidhorizontal portion and an upwardly-extending vertical flange portion ofsaid bottom panel, said slot means extending parallel to the side edgeof said horizontal portion, and said side joining element comprisesinwardly-extendingtab means insertable through corresponding slot meansdisposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottompanel, said tab means and said slot means acting in conjunction tomaintain said vertical wall portion of said side panels in perpendicularrelationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

5. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joining element disposednear the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panelincludes a downwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel bentbackward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and said side joiningelement includes an inwardly-extending portion of said side panel benttoward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindrical configuration, thediameter of said inwardly-extending portion being slightly greater thanthe diameter of said cylindrically-shaped downwardlyextending portion ofsaid bottom panel such that said inwardly-extending portion of said sidepanel is slidably movable over said cylindrically-shapeddownwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner thatsaid inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is adjacent to and atleast partially surrounds said downwardly-extending portion of saidbottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and saiddownwardly-extending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintainsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel in perpendicularrelationship to said horizontal portion of said bottom panel.

6.. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joining element disposednear the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panelincludes a downwardlyextending portion of said bottom panel which isfolded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward leg of the U isadjacent to the outward leg along less than the entire length of theoutward leg, and said side joining element includes adownwardly-extending portion of said side means bent in the shape of aU, the distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightlygreater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs ofsaid bottom joining element, such that said downwardly-extending portionof said side panel is slidably movable over said foldeddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom. panel in such a manner thatsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained inperpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottompanel.

7. In a drawer particularly adapted for use in a cabinet and including abottom panel, side panels, a front panel, and a back panel, theimprovement comprising, joint means for quickly and releasably attachingsaid side panels to said bottom panel, said joint means formed by theconjunction of an inwardly-extending side joining element formed in thelower portion of said side panel and a bottom joining element cut,shaped or formed in said bottom panel and disposed along the side edgeof the horizontal portion thereof, said bottom joining element receivingsaid side joining element in such a manner that the vertical wallportion of said side panel is thereby held and maintained insubstantially perpendicular relationship to the horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel, said side joining element alternately being movableon said bottom joining element in such a manner that said vertical wallportion of said side panel may be positioned parallel with and adjacentto said horizontal portion of said bottom panel for shipping.

8. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein said bottom joiningelement disposed near thev side edge of said horizontal portion of saidbottom panel includes at least one slot cut in the bend formed by thejunction of said horizontal portion and an upwardly-extending verticalflange portion of said bottom panel, said slot extending parallel to theside edge of said horizontal por tion, and said side joining elementincludes inwardly extending tab means being insertable through acorresponding slot disposed near the side edge of said horizontalportion of said bottom panel, said tab means and said slot acting inconjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel insubstantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel.

9. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottom joiningelement disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of saidbottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottompanel bent backward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and said sidejoining element includes an inwardly-extending portion of said sidepanel bent toward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindricalconfiguration, the diameter of said inwardly-extending portion beingslightly greater than the diameter of said cylindricallyshapeddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel such that saidinwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable oversaid cylindricallyshaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottompanel until said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel isadjacent to and at least partially surrounds said downwardly-extendingportion of said bottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and saiddownwardlyextending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintainsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantiallyperpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottompanel.

10, The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottom joiningelementdisposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of saidbottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion ofv said bottompanel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward legof the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than the entirelength of the outward leg, and'said side joining element includes adownwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent in the shape of aU, the

distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightly greaterthan the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs of saidbottom joining element such that said downwardly-extending portion ofsaid side panel is slidably movable over said foldeddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner thatsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained insubstantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel.

11. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said front panel has rearwardlyextending right angle flanges disposed along its side edges and bottomedge and said bottom panel and said side panels have reversely foldedright angle flanges disposed along their front edges, and wherein saidback panel has inwardly extending right angle flanges disposed along itsside edges and bottom edge and said bottom panel has an upwardlyextending right angle flange disposed along its back edge, said frontpanel flanges being fastened to said bottom panel flange and said sidepanel flanges and said back panel flanges being fastened to said bottompanel flange and the rear portions of said side panels by said holdingmeans in such a manner that no protrusions exist on the interior surfaceof the drawer.

2. The drawer of claim 11 wherein said front panel flanges, said bottompanel flanges, said side panel flanges, said back panel flanges, andsaid rear portions of said side panels have holes punched or drilledtherethrough, said front panel flanges being. aligned with said bottompanel flange and said side panel flanges, said back panel flanges beingaligned with said bottom panel flange and said rear portions of saidside panels in such a manner that said holding means may be insertedthrough matching holes in the aligned flanges and side panel portions tofasten said front panel to said side panels and said bottom panel, andsaid back panel to said bottom panel and said side panels whileprecluding the existence of any protrusions on the interior surface ofthe drawer.

1. A drawer capable of being shipped in a flattened or knockeddowncondition and later assembled, installed and used in connection with acabinet, said drawer including a bottom panel, a front panel, two sidepanels, a back panel, and quick releasable joint means for attachingsaid side panels to said bottom panel, said joint means including bottomjoining means integral with said bottom panel and side joining meansintegral with each of said side panels, said bottom joining means andsaid side joining means comprising the sole connection between said sidepanels and said bottom panel, said joint means permitting each of saidside panels to be moved to a folded position parallel with and adjacentto said bottom panel for purposes of shipping, said joint meansalternately holding and maintaining said side panels in a positionsubstantially perpendicular to said bottom panel for purposes of use asa drawer, each of said side panels and said bottom panel in suchperpendicular relationship being fixedly attachable to said front paneland said back panel by holding means to form a conventionally-shapeddrawer.
 2. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said bottom panel includes ahorizontal portion of even surface forming the bottom of said drawer,having cut, shaped, or formed integral bottom joining elements disposedalong its side edges and wherein said side panels include vertical wallportions forming the sides of said drawer, said vertical wall portionshaving disposed near their lower edges integral side joining elementscomplementing the bottom joining elements disposed along the side edgesof said bottom panel, said bottom and side joining elements cooperatingto form said joint means, allowing joinder of said bottom panel and saidside panels in substantially perpendicular relationship while permittingmovement of said side panels with respect to said bottom panel at anydesired time, said bottom panel being joined along the front edge ofsaid horizontal portion to said front panel by holding means and beingjoined along the back edge of said horizontal portion to said back panelby holding means.
 3. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said joint meansincludes an inwardly-extending side joining element disposed along thelower edge of a vertical wall portion of said side panels and a bottomjoining element disposed along the side edge of the horizontal portionof said bottom panel, said side and bottom joining elements acting incommunication and conjunction to allow said side panels to be moved orswung to a vertical position with respect to said horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel or to a folded position parallel with and adjacent tosaid horizontal portion of said bottom panel.
 4. The drawer of claim 3,wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of saidhorizontal portion of said bottom panel comprises slot means cut in thebend formed by the junction of said horizontal portion and anupwardly-extending vertical flange portion of said bottom panel, saidslot means extending parallel to the side edge of said horizontalportion, and said side joining element comprises inwardly-extending tabmeans insertable through corresponding slot means disposed near the sideedge of said horizontal portion of said bottom panel, said tab means andsaid slot means acting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wallportion of said side panels in perpendicular relationship to saidhorizontal portion of said bottom panel.
 5. The drawer of claim 3wherein said bottom joining element disposed near the side edge of saidhorizontal portion of said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extendingportion of said bottom panel bent backward upon itself in a cylindricalshape, and said side joining element includes an inwardly-extendingportion of said side panel bent toward said vertical wall portion insemi-cylindrical configuration, the diameter of said inwardly-extendingportion being slightly greater than the diameter of saidcylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottom panelsuch that said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidablymovable over said cylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion ofsaid bottom panel in such a manner that said inwardly-extending portionof said side panel is adjacent to and at least partially surrounds saiddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel, saidinwardly-extending portion and said downwardly-extending portion therebyacting in conjunction to maintain said vertical wall portion of saidside panel in perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel.
 6. The drawer of claim 3 wherein said bottom joiningelement disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of saidbottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of said bottompanel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that the inward legof the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than the entirelength of the outward leg, and said side joining element includes adownwardly-extending portion of said side means bent in the shape of aU, the distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightlygreater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs ofsaid bottom joining element, such that said downwardly-extending portionof said side panel is slidably movable over said foldeddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner thatsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained inperpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottompanel.
 7. In a drawer particularly adapted for use in a cabinet andincluding a bottom panel, side panels, a front panel, and a back panel,the improvement comprising, joint means for quickly and releasablyattaching said side panels to said bottom panel, said joint means formedby the conjunction of an inwardly-extending side joining element formedin the lower portion of said side panel and a bottom joining elementcut, shaped or formed in said bottom panel and disposed along the sideedge of the horizontal portion thereof, said bottom joining elementreceiving said side joining element in such a manner that the verticalwall portion of said side panel is thereby held and maintained insubstantially perpendicular relationship to the horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel, said side joining element alternately being movableon said bottom joining element in such a manner that said vertical wallportion of said side panel may be positIoned parallel with and adjacentto said horizontal portion of said bottom panel for shipping.
 8. Theimprovement set forth in claim 7 wherein said bottom joining elementdisposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of said bottompanel includes at least one slot cut in the bend formed by the junctionof said horizontal portion and an upwardly-extending vertical flangeportion of said bottom panel, said slot extending parallel to the sideedge of said horizontal portion, and said side joining element includesinwardly extending tab means being insertable through a correspondingslot disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portion of saidbottom panel, said tab means and said slot acting in conjunction tomaintain said vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantiallyperpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottompanel.
 9. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottomjoining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portionof said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of saidbottom panel bent backward upon itself in a cylindrical shape, and saidside joining element includes an inwardly-extending portion of said sidepanel bent toward said vertical wall portion in semi-cylindricalconfiguration, the diameter of said inwardly-extending portion beingslightly greater than the diameter of said cylindrically-shapeddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel such that saidinwardly-extending portion of said side panel is slidably movable oversaid cylindrically-shaped downwardly-extending portion of said bottompanel until said inwardly-extending portion of said side panel isadjacent to and at least partially surrounds said downwardly-extendingportion of said bottom panel, said inwardly-extending portion and saiddownwardly-extending portion thereby acting in conjunction to maintainsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel in substantiallyperpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion of said bottompanel.
 10. The improvement set forth in claim 7 wherein the bottomjoining element disposed near the side edge of said horizontal portionof said bottom panel includes a downwardly-extending portion of saidbottom panel which is folded in a U-shape in such a manner that theinward leg of the U is adjacent to the outward leg along less than theentire length of the outward leg, and said side joining element includesa downwardly-extending portion of said side panel bent in the shape of aU, the distance between the legs of the U thus formed being slightlygreater than the thickness of the adjacent inward and outward legs ofsaid bottom joining element such that said downwardly-extending portionof said side panel is slidably movable over said foldeddownwardly-extending portion of said bottom panel in such a manner thatsaid vertical wall portion of said side panel is held and maintained insubstantially perpendicular relationship to said horizontal portion ofsaid bottom panel.
 11. The drawer of claim 1 wherein said front panelhas rearwardly extending right angle flanges disposed along its sideedges and bottom edge and said bottom panel and said side panels havereversely folded right angle flanges disposed along their front edges,and wherein said back panel has inwardly extending right angle flangesdisposed along its side edges and bottom edge and said bottom panel hasan upwardly extending right angle flange disposed along its back edge,said front panel flanges being fastened to said bottom panel flange andsaid side panel flanges and said back panel flanges being fastened tosaid bottom panel flange and the rear portions of said side panels bysaid holding means in such a manner that no protrusions exist on theinterior surface of the drawer.
 12. The drawer of claim 11 wherein saidfront panel flanges, said bottom panel flanges, said side panel flanges,said back panel flanges, and said rear portions of said side panels haveholes punched or drilLed therethrough, said front panel flanges beingaligned with said bottom panel flange and said side panel flanges, saidback panel flanges being aligned with said bottom panel flange and saidrear portions of said side panels in such a manner that said holdingmeans may be inserted through matching holes in the aligned flanges andside panel portions to fasten said front panel to said side panels andsaid bottom panel, and said back panel to said bottom panel and saidside panels while precluding the existence of any protrusions on theinterior surface of the drawer.